McM Men's Tennis drains UT-Permian Basin, 8-1

Published On: Apr 17 2014 09:16:14 PM CDT

ABILENE, Texas -

McMurry University men’s tennis put on a dominating display in earning an 8-1 Heartland Conference win over the University of Texas of the Permian Basin at the Seidel-Swagerty Tennis Center. The “Senior Day” victory was McM’s fourth in its last six matches.

The War Hawks upped their overall record to 9-10 overall and 3-1 in Heartland matches. The Falcons, conversely, fell to 7-9 for 2014 and 1-4 versus the league.

Three tight battles in doubles play to open the day all ended up on the McM side of the ledger, giving the hosts a 3-0 cushion heading into singles play. Winning at No. 1 singles were Casjen Rico and Dustin Douglas, defeating UTPB’s Justin Pena and Adam Cheney, 9-8 (8-1).

At the Nos. 2 and 3 matches, McMurry’s teams won by identical 8-6 scores in both. At No. 2, seniors Preston Steblein and Felipe Cruz won over Alvaro Sifuentes and Jaxon Imler, and at No. 3 it was McM’s Carlos Perez and Hunter Ward getting by Caio Aguiar and Mateus Munhoz.

McMurry flexed its muscle in singles, winning five out of six matches, despite playing without No. 2 singles regular, and senior, Chris Breaux (illness). At No. 1 singles Cruz won a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Pena.

The McM lineup then shifted up a slot the balance of the matches. Dani Perez played No. 2 and defeated UTPB’s Sifuentes, 6-2, 6-4. Rico won at No. 4 with a 6-3, 6-3 count versus Aguiar, while Cristiano Mendes, a senior, had to work a bit harder – but with the same result - at No. 5 versus the Falcons’ Munhoz, 6-3, 7-5.

At No. 6, Tom Weir got the nod and improved his personal record to 4-1 in singles with his 6-1, 6-3 win over UTPB’s Imler.

McMurry - currently sitting in third place in the Heartland Conference standings - will have a chance to leapfrog into the second spot tomorrow when it faces off against St. Mary’s University (9-9, 4-1 HC), the team immediately ahead on the league leaderboard. The match begins at 11 a.m. in Mason, Texas.